E3 2010: Civilization V Impressions

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Firaxis' next major strategy game is only a few months away.

By Charles Onyett

Fans of Civilization may have already noticed a few previews and interviews go up on IGN, from our lengthy first look article to a talk with the game's lead designer Jon Shafer. While there's already a lot of information out there, we're still waiting to hear more about all aspects of the game. At E3 2010, demos were being put on in publisher 2K Games' booth, showing off a cross-section of how Civilization's familiar turn-based gameplay will be changing in the sequel. While nothing radically new was discussed, it was the first time I actually got to see the game running, and it's looking like it could be, like Civilization IV, an entertainment experience that'll last long after it's been released. At least so I hope.

There are some fairly big differences in this version of the game compared to previous iterations, and what's immediately obvious is how pretty it is. Now I realize Civilization has never been about looks, but it's a nice bonus when a developer has the ability and time to make a visually polished product. Across the expanse of the world map stretch lush grasslands, winding spines of dunes rising above plains of desert sand, flowing rivers crisscrossing through snow-capped mountain ranges, and a glittering spread of ocean beyond the continents' shores. As games progress fields will be cultivated into farmland and fire and smoke will erupt from damaged cities. Over all this land trot your smoothly animated, toy-like units as they maneuver to alter the borders of the world. On diplomacy screens when leaders like Elizabeth and Napoleon are confronted and offered insultingly low sums of money for territory, they'll scowl in disapproval and scold you.

If you've been paying attention you'll know the game has moved to a hexagonal grid system, and units are limited to one per tile. That means no more stacking up gigantic armies and tossing them into every city you find, using overwhelming numbers to overrun your opposition. Instead, the conflicts in Civilization V are being designed to require more thought. If you've got a group of soldiers sitting on one side of the river, they're going to suffer some severe penalties if they try to move across and attack an enemy standing on higher ground on the other side. At least in the demo shown at E3, these bonuses and penalties for positioning are displayed onscreen as you plan out your move, so you can see which moves would better serve your quest for victory.

A better idea than direct assault would be to take an artillery unit sitting behind the front lines and have it fire at the entrenched enemy, softening them up for subsequent attacks. Since artillery can launch volleys over other units, it opens up a new dimension to the combat as you must carefully consider how on which hex to put each unit. If long range-units are left undefended, for example, they can be swiftly routed by any remotely capable aggressor.

Should you fight intelligently enough to break through to an enemy city, you'll find things again function differently. Within a population center's walls you won't be able to garrison a near infinite stack of defenders. There's only space for one unit in there. Cities will have a natural defense value that can be bolstered by building walls and other structures, and they'll defend themselves against attackers with strikes that can hit beyond a single hex away.

Successfully rolling through a city and taking it over grants you a handful of options. You could smash the place to bits. Or, if you were feeling a little less wreckless, you could annex the place, though you'll then have to deal with the additional problem of managing an unhappy citizenry. If you're trying to push ahead further into enemy territory, the risk of a revolt may be too much. In that case, it's possible to install a puppet government in a conquered city. It raises the spirits of the populace, and though its production will be automated, you still are able to enjoy its other benefits.

War isn't the only way to victory. Instead, you can strive for a science victory where you try to assemble a spaceship for the end game. The twist is that components actually need to be carted across the map to the same city, so if you're trying to assemble a craft you'll need to protect the pieces as they move across land. Culture victories can also be achieved by filling out six social policy trees, giving you multiple ways to pursue victory aside from just massing heavy artillery.

Tying all this together is a reworked user interface, which only displays information when it has to. The goal for Firaxis was to build a screen that was less intimidating to first time players, and after seeing it it's easy to appreciate the cleaner look. Details and statistics and ways to customize your cities are still there if you want to dig around, so more hardcore fans hopefully won't feel left out.

With a reworked method of cultural expansion across the hex maps, independent city-states that can serve as dynamic points of conflict between expanding civilizations, and much more we haven't even heard about, Civilization V is looking great so far. It's been set for a September 21st release in North America, September 24th internationally, two dates I think we're all looking forward to at this point.